The Chargers spread the Falcons out Sunday, and quarterback Philip Rivers surgically sliced them with short passes. The Packers essentially did the same thing to the Bears last week — and they have an even better quarterback than Rivers and a deeper group of pass targets than San Diego's.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a two-time league MVP, comes to the Georgia Dome on Sunday with a blueprint for how to beat the Falcons. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he’s confident his defense quickly can fix the coverage errors that contributed to San Diego’s comeback from 17 points down to win in overtime last weekend.
“You better because (Rodgers) knows how to attack in a very big way, as well,” Quinn said.
Falcons defenders said they weren’t surprised at how the Chargers attacked them. It’s their style for wide receivers to run short passing routes such as crosses, corners and comebacks and then run for more yardage.
By contrast, the Packers don’t usually focus on short passes, but had to do it in a 26-10 victory the Bears because of the circumstances.
“You play the way you have to play,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after the game.
Green Bay’s running game suffered with running backs Eddie Lacy (ankle) and James Starks (knee) out with injuries. The Packers promoted running back Don Jackson from the practice squad for the Bears game, and he left in the second quarter after suffering a hand injury.
The Packers were forced to use wide receiver Ty Montgomery at running back for 49 snaps. Running back Knile Davis, acquired in a trade with Kansas City two days before the game, played five snaps.
With their running game limited, the Packers decided to use extensive sets with four and five wide receivers and have Rodgers find favorable matchups on shorter routes. It worked: Rodgers went 39-of-56 for 326 yards — just 5.8 yards per attempt — and three touchdowns.
Rodgers broke Brett Favre’s franchise record for completions in a game.
“It’s fun to win so whatever you’ve got to do to win, whether we throw it that many times or have to pound it a little bit more,” Rodgers said. “I think this is closer to how we’re going to have to play moving forward.”
It’s the way Rivers rallied the Chargers to victory over the Falcons in the second half and overtime. Time after time Rivers completed short passes that turned into first downs when his targets ran away or around Falcons defenders.
The Falcons play zone coverage extensively, which means there isn’t necessarily going to be tight coverage on the shorter routes. Defenders have to be aware of the first-down marker and break quickly on passes in front of them. Quinn said the Falcons had lapses in those areas against the Chargers and also had instances when defenders playing man-to-man defense getting caught in traffic.
Quinn said the Falcons have “a real belief in the style that we want to play” on defense. He said he’s confident they will clean up their mistakes before facing Rodgers.
“These are not errors that have been repeated,” Quinn said. “That’s what I like about this group. ‘All right, here’s an error that has to be fixed’ and we shine a light right on it and get that problem adjusted.
“We’ll work like crazy to get our football exactly right for this weekend. We know the way Aaron can attack, they’re a very good third-down team and how quickly he can get rid of the ball. We’d better be on point.”
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